City Announces Completion of 11th Street Improvement Project
Published on August 29, 2024
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliott today discussed the benefits of the recently completed Lincoln on the Move 11th Street Corridor Improvement Project.
“Through our community’s investment in Lincoln on the Move, we are proud to deliver street improvements like this one that helps children and families safely travel to and from Everett Elementary School, connects neighbors to their favorite small businesses, and enhances mobility along this diverse and vibrant corridor,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said.
Improvements to 11th Street between South and “K” streets include a mill and overlay of the existing surface, base repairs where required and restriping. Additional work with other funding sources included upgrades to the existing curb ramps to comply with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and priority sidewalk repairs.
Approved by residents in 2019, Lincoln on the Move is a quarter-cent sales tax specifically for additional street investments. Since its inception, Lincoln on the Move has added nearly $78 million additional dollars to the City’s overall street investments, resulting in over 162 lane miles of new and resurfaced streets.
Joining Mayor Gaylor Baird at the news conference were Liz Elliott, Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director; Anakaren Sanchez, Guerrero Grocery Owner; Brent Lucke, community resident; and Lincoln City Councilmember Bennie Shobe.
Elliott said the 11th Street Corridor Improvement Project is one of eight Lincoln on the Move projects to be completed in 2024, totaling a nearly $18 million in investments and nearly 27 miles of street work spread out across all four quadrants of the city. The 11th Street project cost $2.2 million.
To help engage and prepare the neighborhood for this improvement project, Elliott said LTU offered one-on-one meetings to businesses, schools, and neighborhood associations along the corridor, mailed informational postcards to hundreds of residents and businesses in the area, and held public open houses.
“By engaging residents and businesses early in the design phase of the project and again right before construction began, we were able to keep project information flowing for the neighborhood,” Elliott said.
Sanchez noted how the improvements help enhance the customer experience by creating better access to her business through better visibility for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
“The improvements I am seeing on 11th Street create a safer environment for everyone who uses the street and creates a welcoming environment for businesses and residents who work and live in the area,” Sanchez said.
Shobe said the voter-approved Lincoln on the Move initiative helps ensure that city streets are growing and improving at the same rate as Lincoln’s growing community.
“The completed work on 11th Street shows how these investments expand mobility, safety and access for all our residents, while also creating the infrastructure support to help businesses thrive and grow our local economy,” Shobe said.
Lucke also shared his gratitude for the City’s continued investment in Lincoln’s older neighborhoods.
“I was glad to see the street and our neighborhood was a focus area for repairs and maintenance. Greater attention from the city to our core neighborhood's streets, for the sake of all types of users, is a step in the right direction to building upon and maintaining what’s strong in Lincoln,” Lucke said.